Barely a day after police had claimed to have made a major breakthrough in the investigation of the ATM robbery case and killing of a cash custodian in Manipur’s Churachandpur district with the arrest of three culprits, a protest rally carried out in Imphal East district on Tuesday demanded capital punishment to the culprits involved in the case.
On September 4 last, unidentified robbers shot and injured Arambam Ranjan (37) who worked as a cash custodian of SBI Churachandpur branch replenishing money in bank ATMs and looted around Rs 1.15 crore.
Police investigating the case had arrested three employees of Writers Safeguard Group (WSG), sub-contracted agency of SBI for ATM cash management as suspects in the robbery of the cash after killing the cash custodian.
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With the recovery of a small arm (0.32 calibre revolver) allegedly used in the robbery incident after shooting the cash custodian from the house of one of the suspects, police, in a statement dispatched late on Monday, claimed to have made a major breakthrough in the investigation of the case.
The police alleged that the arrested persons were involved in the case while pointing out one of them, Khongkham Brojen Singh (40) as the mastermind of the robbery and killing case.
Meanwhile, people of Langdum area of Imphal East district carried out a protest rally on Tuesday targeting the house of the alleged mastermind of the robbery and killing case at Bamonkampu.
When police disallowed the protestors to proceed further on the street along Imphal-Andro Road, there triggered a strong heated exchange of words between the police and the protestors.
It was only after the police officials of the district convinced the leaders of the protestors that the rally was allowed to carry out further but concluded before reaching the locality of the alleged prime accused of the crime.
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The protestors demanded capital punishment to the culprits of the crime and police investigating into the case should not delay in submitting the charge-sheet for the end of justice.
Mention may be made that police had earlier arrested V Thanglianpou (40), K Somen Singh (36) and Khongkham Brojen Singh (40), all employees of WSG as suspects.
Police, in its statement on Monday, had stated that during the course of investigation it was found that Brojen planned the robbery and was executed by Somen in connivance with Thangkhanmuan.Â
Brojen gave his license gun along with six live ammunitions to Somen to execute the crime, the police added.
Meanwhile, the dead body of Ranjan is still lying as an unclaimed body at RIMS morgue, Imphal as family with the backing of the JAC formed in connection with the incident refused to take the body for last rites.
NNN